County Denies Zoning Variance On Bithlo Lot

August 7, 1985|By Mildred A. Williams of The Sentinel Staff

BITHLO — A county zoning board has denied a Bithlo resident's request to put a mobile home on a substandard lot after members of the Bithlo Betterment Committee complained that the applicant's current residence is an eyesore.

The board of zoning adjustment voted unanimously during a public hearing Thursday to deny the variance request by John Hampson to put a 12- by 60- foot mobile home on a lot that is smaller than the county requires. Hampson, who had asked for an exception to setback requirements on the front and back of the property, was given 15 days to appeal the decision to the county commission.

Members of the Bithlo Betterment Committe sent the zoning board pictures of the Hampson's property, which includes a boat where they say he has been living and several small buildings nearby.

A letter from the committtee's vice president Tom Rudge outlining the concerns of the committee also was presented to the board. Rudge wrote that the committee had been trying to clean up the community by urging residents to spruce up their property and adhere to zoning regulations.

He said the committee felt the boat on the applicant's property was unsightly and conflicted with its efforts to improve the area's appearance.

''We have no problem with a mobile home on the property if the county says they can have it,'' Rudge said before the hearing. ''But we don't want a boat next to nice homes.''

Because Hampson already was violating zoning regulations by living in a boat, Rudge said the committee was concerned that he might not follow rules related to installation of a septic tank and well on a substandard lot.

Jane Vojanec, recording secretary for the zoning board, said Hampson did not say if he planned to remove the boat when he put the mobile home on the lot.

Vojanec said the board probably would have been more inclined to grant the variance if Hampson's property were vacant.